Time Lords at Teatime
by expelliTARDIS
Summary: The wind started to blow, the TARDIS started to spin, and Jack and Amy found themselves in a parallel universe without the Doctor! With only a stand-in to help them, Jack and Amy have to defeat the daleks and find the Doctor...before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1: The Message

**Chapter 1**

**The Message**

Captain Jack opened his eyes. The rain beat a steady _pat-patter-pat _on the roof.

"Jack," said a voice. "You fell asleep."

Jack lifted his head from the floor. Amy stood by the computer screen. She was dressed in the same skirt she had been wearing the night before.

"Jack, the TARDIS computer's on. Something important is about to happen. I can _feel _it. Take a look."

Jack groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He didn't want to wake up. He had been dreaming. It had been a good dream, with Rose in it. He walked over to where Amy was standing.

The screen was flickering. Suddenly, an image of a man with floppy hair and a bow tie came into view. He seemed to be mouthing the words "Come now". The screen flickered a few more times. A photo of Big Ben appeared through the black and white static, and a few seconds later the number 1,974.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Amy.

Jack thought for a minute. "Well, Big Ben is in London, and 1,974 could be the year nineteen seventy-four."

"We have to go find the Doctor," said Amy. "I bet _that_ is where he is."

"You're right," said Jack. He pointed to the computer screen. "I wish we could go there." Amy pulled a handle.

The wind started to blow.

The TARDIS started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.


	2. Chapter 2: The Next Doctor

**Chapter 2**

**The Next Doctor**

"Where are we?" said Amy.

"I don't know," said Jack.

"I'm going to find out," said Amy.

"Wait!" said Jack. But Amy was already gone.

Reluctantly, Jack stepped out of the TARDIS and into the outside air. He followed his companion down a narrow, winding alleyway.

"Look!" said Amy, pointing. "I think we're in London!" A huge clock tower loomed in the distance. In fact, it was the same clock tower they had seen on the screen only a few minutes before.

"I think we're in the past," said Jack. "See? Big Ben isn't patched up. That means a spaceship manned with a pig hasn't crashed into it yet."

"But how can we find out what year it is? That might help us find whatever we need to bring the Doctor back."

"I know!" said Jack after a moment's thought. "We can look at the newspaper."

"Good idea." Jack and Amy walked down the alleyway together until they reached a newspaper stand. Jack handed the paperboy a pound from the pockets of his trench coat, received his change, and picked up the paper.

"Look!" said Amy. "The Doctor's in it!" She pointed to a short article with the title "BBC Announces Doctor's Fourth Incarnation Actor". Together, Jack and Amy read the following words.

"Yesterday, the BBC announced that the fourth incarnation of the

Doctor, the extra-terrestrial main character of the popular science-

fiction television programme _Doctor Who _will be played by Tom

Baker."

Next to the text was a black-and-white picture of a man with curly black hair and a long nose smiling at the camera.

Suddenly, Jack and Amy heard a tinny, robotic voice behind them.

"Exterminate! The Doctor will be exterminated! EXTERMINATE!"

Jack and Amy didn't even bother to look behind them. They just glanced at each other. Then they ran for their lives.


	3. Chapter 3: Help

**Chapter 3**

**Help**

Jack and Amy stood in a doorway about two blocks away, clutching each other.

"You know what daleks are, right?" he asked softly.

Amy nodded. "They kill you with their death rays and suck your face with their plungers," she said. "But I don't get it. What are they doing in London?"

"That's what I thought," said Jack. "I don't know. I guess we thought wrong." He peeked around the doorway at the deserted street. "We'd better go home. There's nothing we can do here. It isn't safe. Maybe the Doctor is in a different London."

"No," said Amy. "We have to stay and help. We can escape in the TARDIS anytime we want."

"But what can we do?" said Jack. "We can't create any paradoxes. We can't take the whole of London with us in the TARDIS. The last time I met a dalek, Rose was locked in her parallel universe. The time before that, I was killed. We can't fight the daleks alone."

"Yeah, but there must be some way we can help," said Amy.

"How?" said Jack.

"I don't know," said Amy. "Let's look around." She squirmed out of Jack's arms and started down the empty street. Jack followed her to the corner. A car drove by, but Jack didn't see any pedestrians.

"Where is everyone?" asked Amy.

"I don't know," said Jack. "It's nighttime. Maybe they're all asleep."

"The paperboy was awake."

"He probably has a 24-hour service. Or he has the nighttime shift."

"Let's go to the clock tower."

Jack and Amy started off in the general direction of the clock tower. They passed the windows of shops that had closed for the night. Jack looked through them as he went by. He saw cookies and cupcakes, shoes and boots, and shivered at the sight of a collection of mannequins in the window of a clothing shop. Soon, they reached the Thames. A group of workers were setting up cones, traffic barriers, and yellow tape across the streets on either side of the block Jack and Amy stood on.

"What's he doing?" asked Amy.

"I don't know," said Jack with a shrug.

"Any bets on the number of complaints we get tomorrow?" one of the workers was saying.

" 'Bout a hundred. More, maybe."

"Tourists, or locals?"

"Locals. The tourists get all excited and respeckful when they hear about on-site filmin', and leave well enough alone."

"I reckon you're right, Phil. _Doctor Who_ ain't any special occasion when you need to reach the Underground."

Jack and Amy shared a glance of astonishment.

"They're filming _Doctor Who _here tomorrow!" whispered Amy. "That's the telly programme the Doctor's name was mentioned in in that paper!"

Jack shook his head. "I don't think it's really the Doctor," he reminded her. "It's only an actor. Remember that photo? That's not our Doctor." He took a flashlight out of his pocket and shined it on the newspaper. He read quietly to Amy.

"Tom Baker will begin playing his role as the Doctor this

Christmas. In the meantime, so-called "Whovians", or fans

of _Doctor Who _can expect to see Jon Pertwee on the telly

until then, when the Doctor "regenerates."

The article went on to explain what exactly "regenerating" was.

"I don't get it," said Amy. "No one on Earth knows who the Doctor is, at least not in our time. But here he is, making the front page as a fictional character!"

"Maybe we aren't on Earth at all," Jack suggested. "Maybe we're in a parallel universe!" He practically shouted the last sentence.

"Shhhh," said Amy. The workmen were giving them funny looks. Ignoring them, Amy whispered, "We don't want the daleks to hear us."

"There aren't any right on this block, that we know of," Jack protested. But he said it in a whisper and rolled his eyes, accepting defeat. "I wonder what time it is now."

"I don't know," said Amy. "We're kind of in the middle of the street. Let's move into the shadows." Jack and Amy moved into the shadows near a printing shop on the near side of the street. There was an awkward silence.

"Hey!" Amy whisper-exclaimed. "I know how we can help!"

"What?" asked Jack.

"We can lead the daleks away from people. Sink them in the Thames, I don't know."

"You can't _sink_ a dalek. Besides, it's too dangerous. And there are people _everywhere_, including the river."

"You're immortal and I'm brave," Amy pointed out. "Daleks will follow the TARDIS to another planet- if we let them."

"And then what? We'll be stuck on a distant planet, and we still won't have found the Doctor." Jack's logic surprised him; his immortality sometimes led him to be reckless, and he wasn't exactly the most selfless person in the galaxy.

"Then we'll let the daleks lead us to him. They always find him. We can save him, and some other people in the process."

"Good plan," said Jack. "Where do we start?"

"Well, we should wait until morning, when they start filming. Let's lie low and try to stay away from the daleks."

Jack took a deep breath.

"Ok," he said. "In the words of the Doctor, Allons-y!".


	4. Chapter 4: Realizations

**Chapter 4**

Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes. Amy's head slipped off his shoulder. He caught her and propped her up against the doorway they had slept in. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was or why he was there. Then he saw Big Ben in the distance and remembered.

Jack yawned and pulled his watch out of his pocket. It was 7:30.

"Oh, man," he said to no one in particular. "They start shooting in an hour and a half." Jack knelt down and shook Amy awake.

"It's early," Amy groaned without opening her eyes. "Rory…" Then her eyelids fluttered open. She blushed. "Sorry. Not quite awake. Some coffee would be nice."

Jack helped Amy to her feet.

"I think there's a cafe about a block from here. Let's see if it's open."

"Okay," said Amy. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty," said Jack. "They don't start filming for an hour and a half. We've got some time."

Jack and Amy slipped quietly down the street. They reached the corner of an empty intersection.

"We're on the wrong side of the river," said Jack.

"That way," said Amy pointing to a sign. The sign had an arrow and explained briefly that the arrow pointed toward a bridge.

"Good thinking," said Jack. He didn't admit that he hadn't spotted the sign at all. Jack and Amy turned the corner and walked in the direction of the arrow. Jack decided to make smalltalk to pass the time.

"So, how's Rory?" he asked. His American accent made Amy wince.

"I haven't been able to call him since we got stuck," she replied in her Scottish brogue. "I'm sure he's worried. His poor wife, stuck with a strange man and without the Doctor."

"A strange, _handsome_ man," Jack corrected. "We've got the TARDIS. We just need to figure out what we need to find the Doctor."

"Jack, I've been thinking, and I think I know what it is."

"What? You didn't tell me before? Why not? It's important!"

"Are you going to let me tell you?" Amy interrupted his rant. She sighed sarcastically. "I think we need the sonic screwdriver."

"Wow, she's something." said Jack under his breath. "Ok, good thinking," he said to Amy. "Where do you think it is?"

"I don't _know,_" said Amy. "The Doctor doesn't have it, he said so before he vanished, and the TARDIS would have helped him find it if it were inside."

Jack fell silent. Amy was deep in thought, so the two walked in silence until they had reached the bridge and were halfway across the Thames.

Amy broke the silence. "Where are we going, Jack?" she asked.

"Big Ben," said Jack. Amy nodded. Silence fell once more. Suddenly, Amy grinned.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Jack.

Amy put on a raspy voice. "_Silence will fall."_

"Doctor who?" said Jack irritably. Amy rolled her eyes, then widened them.

"Do you think that has something to do with the telly programme? That was its name. _Doctor Who_!"

"Maybe," said Jack excitedly, "we're in a parallel universe where our lives with the Doctor are actually a TV show!"

"Then why aren't we the companions? Why does the Doctor look nothing like the Doctor?"

"Maybe that big-haired guy is a past regeneration of the Doctor."

"A past _what_?"

"Regeneration. Instead of dying like you, the Doctor just changes the way he looks and keeps on going. Anyway, I think we haven't happened yet. We might not happen for 50 years, who knows?"

"Do you regenerate?" said Amy. After all, Jack had told her he was immortal.

"No. I just don't die. I'm gonna stay my same, sexy self until the end of timey-wimey."

"Come on," said Amy. "We have to see what time the tower opens." She walked a little faster. Jack lengthened his stride to keep up.

After a time, they reached the base of the clock tower. Or at least, they got as close as they could. There was a fence around it. A uniformed guard stood in front of a gate.

"We can't get in!" cried Amy.

"Yes, we can," said Jack.

"What do you mean?" asked Amy. "Can't you read the sign above the guard's head?"

"Of course I can," said Jack. "It says, 'Visitors must have a pass from their corresponding MP to tour the tower'. You're forgetting the Doctor's favorite trick: the Psychic Paper. It's right…" Jack checked his pockets. "Oh, man! I left it in the TARDIS!"


	5. Chapter 5: Run!

**Chapter 5**

**Run!**

"It's okay," said Amy, trying to make it okay. "We'll go back to the TARDIS and get it." She started back toward the bridge they had crossed. Jack followed her.

Before they knew it, Jack and Amy were across the river and standing on the pavement on a street corner on the other side.

"Which way?" said Jack.

"That way," said Amy, pointing. "We came from that general direction on our way here." They kept walking.

"Oi there!" said a voice a couple of minutes later. "You can't go that way!" Jack and Amy looked up in the direction of the voice. One of the workmen they had seen before was talking to a man who had gone behind the barrier. Where there had been an empty street there was now a cluster of trailers, lights, cameras, and some people in hats walking around, trying to get things organized.

"He's not talking to us," said Jack. But Amy wasn't paying attention to Jack; she was watching the scene behind the barrier.

The workman turned around. "Go back to the trailer, Tom," he said. "You're drawing a crowd." And indeed, a cluster of people was forming around the barrier.

"The actor's there," said Amy, "The one from the paper. Tom Baker." Jack saw the curly haired man as he disappeared from view behind a trailer. A minute later, the man returned with a woman. She had short brown hair and the smile of a model. The workman who had spoken before saw them.

"Tom! You alone's bad enough. We don't need the whole cast out here!"

"Relax, Phil," said Tom. "We needed some fresh air. Is it alright if we meet the Whovians?"

"No!" said Phil. "Go get ready. You're on camera in twenty-five minutes!"

"Jon is nowhere to be seen," Tom pointed out silkily. "Last I saw he needed to use the loo, but that was ten minutes ago." Tom smiled and waved at the people standing at the barrier. Someone cheered.

Amy pulled Jack forward. "Now's our chance," she said. "We can see if he knows anything about the daleks, or the Doctor, or whatever universe we're in." They reached the barrier. "Are you using the daleks today?" she called.

"Not today," said the other workman, not Phil. "Fan of them, are you?"

"Yeah," said Jack, catching on. "We thought we heard heard one last night."

"Jon reckons he heard the TARDIS last night," said the workman. "_Doctor Who_ is in the air."

"He heard _us_," Amy whispered.

"You have a TARDIS?" asked the workman. Apparently, he had been eavesdropping.

"I know this sounds crazy," said Jack, "But yeah. This isn't actually our universe, but the Doctor is trapped here and we came to save him. We need his sonic screwdriver, but we think the daleks want it too."

"You two are hilarious," said the workman. "Oi, Tom! I think I've just found the record for crazy Whovians!"

Tom Baker walked over to them. "Are you fans?" he asked.

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but Jack got there first.

"We're from a parallel universe where _Doctor Who_ isn't a TV show. It's real life. We're friends of the Doctor's: I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and this is Amy Pond."

Tom laughed. "I'll tell you what. If you can bring the TARDIS here, I've always wanted to go to the moon."

"He doesn't believe us," Amy told Jack. "No one does. Our story isn't all that believable, anyway."

"Elevate! EXTERMINATE!" Everyone whirled around.

"Dear God!" someone cried. "Is this a joke?"

"No!" said Amy. "They're real! They want to exterminate the Doctor!"

"Did you organize this, Phil?" asked Tom.

"I think we might have some trouble getting to the TARDIS," said Jack.

"I'll help you get there," said Tom.

"_What_?" said Amy.

"You _will_?" said Jack.

"If these daleks are real, you must be too," Tom explained. "In times of trouble, the Doctor always saves the world."

"Allons-y!" said Jack. Tom gave him a funny look.

"Wrong Doctor," whispered Amy.

Jack, Amy, and Tom slipped past the barrier and down the road, away from the daleks. In all the excitement and confusion, no one noticed them leaving. Even Phil didn't argue.

"This way," said Amy, leading them around a corner.

"I think we should…" Tom started to say, glancing over his shoulder.

"What?" asked Jack.

Tom grinned. "Run!"


	6. Chapter 6: Better on the Inside

**Chapter 6**

**Better on the Inside**

Amy led everyone in the direction opposite the river, away from the daleks. Everyone kept glancing over their shoulders, to see if they were being followed. They weren't, at least not for the moment. They had stopped running after about a block, but they walked carefully down the street. Finally, Amy stopped. Jack and Tom stopped too.

"Here," said Amy. The TARDIS stood, proud and bright blue, on the corner. Tom stared at it in amazement.

"You two sent those daleks, didn't you? This is a joke!"

"No, it isn't," said Jack. "It's real. I can prove it."

"How?" said Tom and Amy at the same time.

"Like this." Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming silver key. He held it up. The light on top of the TARDIS flashed. Jack walked over to the TARDIS and unlocked the door, throwing it wide open with a dramatic flourish. Tom and Amy went in behind him.

"It's… it's…" Tom was speechless.

"Real? Awesome?" suggested Jack.

"Sexy? Bigger on the inside?" suggested Amy.

"All of those things!" cried Tom. He wandered around the control room, running his hands over the railings, levers, and walls.

"It's great isn't it?" said Amy proudly. Tom nodded. Suddenly, he seemed to snap out of his trance and into action.

"There's a dalek out there," he said pointing through the doorway. "We'd better find the Doctor."

Jack, Amy, and Tom stepped slowly out of the TARDIS. Jack shut the door behind them.

"What do you want?" said Jack boldly.

"We have come for the Doctor," the dalek replied. The ear-like lights on top of the dalek blinked as it spoke. "Where is the Doctor?"


	7. Chapter 7: Aliens of London

**Chapter 7**

**Dalek**

The dalek swivelled its eye around, staring at Jack, Amy, and Tom. "Where is the Doctor?" it repeated.

"We don't know," Jack tried to explain. The dalek's blue eye fixed itself upon him. "Actually, we were wondering if you could tell us."

"Daleks do not tolerate liars. Exterminate!" The dalek sounded about as angry as a robot with no emotions possibly can. It pointed a limb that looked strangely like an eggbeater in Jack's direction. Suddenly, a laserlike beam shot out of it, hitting Jack in the chest. His body flashed a blueish x-ray image and he fell backward against the TARDIS.

"No!" cried Amy. Tom was too horrified to speak. He stood completely still.

"It's okay," said Amy quietly, trying to stop her voice from trembling. "It's okay, Tom. He's not… He can't…"

"He was very brave, to speak up like that," said Tom.

"He dared to defy a dalek," said the dalek. "Now, obey or you will be next. OBEY!"

Amy straightened up and tried to smile. "I know something you don't know," she said. "Actually, neither of you knows this, but Jack is-"

"Immortal," Jack finished, standing up. "Gosh, I hate when that happens. You guys have no idea how annoying dying is."

Tom blinked confusedly. He looked like he was about to faint. The dalek looked confused too. Its eye rolled around to face Jack.

"Take me to the Doctor," commanded the dalek.

"We don't know where he is!" cried Amy in terror and exasperation.

"Liars will be punished. Punish. PUNISH," Amy turned ghostly white as the dalek glided slowly toward her.

"Stop!" cried Jack.

"Why are there more daleks coming?" said Tom. Jack looked around. Indeed, five more daleks were coming, closing in on them on all sides.

"Surround the girl," croaked the dalek. The command rippled through the group like an echo. "Surround. SURROUND." Within seconds, the daleks had formed a tight circle around Amy, blocking her from sight. Their plungers pointed outward so that Jack and Tom could not get any nearer without being exterminated.

"Help!" yelled Amy.

But as far and Tom and Jack could see, there was nothing they could do.


	8. Chapter 8: I'm the Doctor

**Chapter 8**

**I'm the Doctor**

"The circle must be broken," muttered Jack. "Um, could you tell us how to get Amy back?"

"Take us to the Doctor."

"Can we look for him first?"

"The girl stays with us until the Doctor is here."

Jack looked at Tom. "Let's go find the Doctor," he said. "I think I have an idea." He pushed open the TARDIS door. Tom followed him in.

"We're coming, Amy!" called Jack. With the sound of time machine brakes, the little blue box disappeared.

It reappeared on the other side of the river. It had only been a few moments, but Jack and Tom had already come up with a plan.

Tom glanced at his watch as soon as they arrived.

"We've used up 5 minutes of our time," he said.

"Actually, we've used up negative twenty," said Jack, and then, because Tom looked confused, he added, "We were in a time machine."

Jack and Tom stepped out of the TARDIS and walked up to the guard at the clock tower.

"Excuse me," said Jack. "We need to get in." He reached deep into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the psychic paper. Jack handed it to the guard, who glanced at it, gave a single nod, and opened the gate to admit them.

"Keep going," said Jack. "I'll be right with you." He knelt down as though he was tying his shoe. As he did so, he deftly snatched something from the ground and pocketed it. He ran to catch Tom.

"Sonic screwdriver was lying on the ground," he said. "I think we're in the right place."

"Thank goodness," said Tom. He felt his shoulders relax. If someone- or worse, a dalek- had found it, who knew what could have happened?

The stairs wound in a tight spiral up the tower. The endless circles were dizzying and exhausting, but Jack and Tom barely noticed it. They just kept climbing, fueled by their fear, and before they knew it they were nearing the top.

"Whoa," said Tom. "What's that?" He was staring at a spot on the wall about six inches above his head. It was cross shaped and inwardly pointed.

Jack, who was several steps ahead, came back down to look.

"I don't know," he said, "but I recognize that shape. I've seen it recently." He racked his brains.

Suddenly, it hit him. "The sonic screwdriver!" he cried, fumbling slightly as he pulled it out of his pocket. He pressed the button on top and its Phillips head popped out. "Amy was right," said Jack. "We _do_ need the sonic screwdriver." Jack put the screwdriver into the notch in the wall. It fit perfectly. "Here goes," he said, pressing the button.

The wall started to glow. Green light spread from the screwdriver until it had created a circle as large as Jack's wingspan. Then it disappeared, leaving an opening in the wall.

Tom went in first, with Jack right behind him. The room was dark, but enough light came from outside for them to see that it was large and round, with a cube-shaped cage in the middle.

"How does this room fit in the tower?" wondered Tom.

"It's bigger on the inside," said a voice from the cage.

"Doctor!" cried Jack.

"Captain," said the Doctor. "And could you please let me out?"

Jack power-walked to the cage and unlocked it with the screwdriver. The Doctor stumbled out.

"Where's Amy?" he asked Jack.

"The daleks have her. We need to get to the TARDIS so we can get her back!"

"You let the daleks take Amy?" the Doctor sounded angry.

"Doctor, we have to go get her!"

"Listen, Harkness. You-let-the-daleks-get-Amy."

Having vented his anger, the Doctor suddenly seemed to notice the third man in the room.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"

"Tom. Tom Baker. I'm also the Doctor, in _this_ universe." When the Doctor heard this, his mouth dropped open.

"I thought you looked familiar- I looked _exactly_ like you once. Are you human?"

"Yes. You… er, you work a little differently here."

"Right. Amy. Let's go." The Doctor grabbed the screwdriver from Jack, adjusted his bow tie, and was skipping down the stairs before you could say "Geronimo". Tom and Jack struggled to keep up with his energetic stride. Before they knew it, the Doctor had them across the street and was opening the TARDIS door. He waved them in, then leapt to the controls. With the sound of squealing extra-terrestrial brakes, the TARDIS disappeared.

"Doctor!" shouted Jack. "Here's the plan!" And he repeated to him the plan that he had come up with with Tom on the way to the tower.

"It's too dangerous," said the Doctor when he had finished. "I can't let an innocent and famous human do such a thing."

"It's our only chance. _Your_ only chance. If the daleks get you, a whole universe could collapse."

"So?"

"Tom has a better chance than you do. And his death wouldn't cause billions of people to disappear in the blink of an eye."

"If anyone dies..."

"He won't. None of us will, Doctor."

"Are you alright with this, Tom."

"It was my idea." (At this, Jack made a face, pretending to be hurt.)

"Ok." The Doctor nodded solemnly. "Let's go whup dalek butt."

The TARDIS landed just feet from where the daleks still had Amy captive. The door opened. A curly-haired man stepped out.

"I'm the Doctor," he said. "And we made a deal."

The daleks' eyes scanned him as they searched their memories. All six found the same thing. For Tom was a parallel Doctor in his parallel world, a perfect double.

"Identity confirmed. Take the Doctor. TAKE THE DOCTOR!"


	9. Chapter 9: Goodbye

**Chapter 9**

**Goodbye**

The daleks rushed to surround Tom Baker. Seizing her chance, Amy ran from the circle and in through the open TARDIS door. As the last dalek moved into position, Jack pounced. He grabbed Tom by his collar as a death ray came whistling toward him. Jack was hit squarely in the chest, but it didn't matter. He'd shielded Tom, who now sat, shaking, in one of the TARDIS seats. Amy ran to the TARDIS door and dragged Jack's limp body inside. She pulled the door shut. Jack sat up.

"Not again!" he said. "I _hate_ dying."

"You saved all of us," said Tom.

"Now we have to save all of London," said Jack. The daleks are still out there."

"Not a problem," said the Doctor. "It's me they want. We have to cross the Void to get home, and the daleks will willingly follow this little blue box right into it."

"What's the Void?" asked Tom and Amy at the same time."

"It's the area between universes," said the Doctor. "It contains nothing, not even time."

"Am I coming with you?" asked Tom.

The Doctor sucked in his breath.

"Sorry, Tom, I'm so sorry. You have a job here, and this isn't my universe. I _can't_ stay."

"Doctor?"  
>"Yes, Tom?"<p>

"You said you used to look like me. The daleks recognized me as you. But I'm a human. I'm an actor."

"Your telly programme is real life in my universe," Amy explained. "It's just like we told you when we first met. The Doctor was you, and then he died and became the next actor after you, and we're from the future and the Doctor is, I don't know, several regenerations after you. And your companion on the show- she's real too. I'm just a later companion."

Tom nodded. "I think I understand." His eyes filled with tears. "I should go back now, I guess."

"You're actually late," said the Doctor. "But the TARDIS can fix that, no problem."

Tom followed the Doctor slowly into the TARDIS. It disappeared and reappeared just around the corner from the set, giving Tom ten minutes to change.

"I can go myself from here," said Tom. "Amy, Jack, Doctor... I won't ever forget you. Any of you. Thank you so much- for everything."

"Goodbye, Tom," said the Doctor solemnly.

"Bye!" cried Amy tearfully.

"I won't forget you either," said Jack.

Tom took a deep breath. Then, he left. Just before he rounded the corner, he turned around and waved. Everyone waved back. Then he was gone.

Jack, Amy, and the Doctor watched his absence for a moment in silence. After a time, Amy closed the doors and the Doctor started fiddling around with the controls.

"I wish we could go home," said Amy.

The wind started to blow.

The TARDIS started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.


	10. Chapter 10: Goodnight TARDIS

**Chapter Ten**

**Goodnight TARDIS**

"Oh, man," whispered Jack. He was lying on the floor of the TARDIS.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. You?" said Jack.

"My heart's beating really fast," said Amy.

"Mine too," said Jack.

It had been a wild ride through the void, with the daleks on their tail the whole way through. It had taken some sharp turns and mad driving to lose the daleks and make it out. Now they were in Cardiff, back in their own universe. The Doctor had suggested that they get some sleep while the TARDIS recharged, but Jack and Amy couldn't get themselves to doze off.

"I miss Tom," said Amy.

"Me too," said Jack. "I hope he's okay."

"He saved our lives," said Amy.

"And he helped us get the Doctor back," said Jack.

The Doctor was wandering around the TARDIS, but he hadn't said anything since they'd landed. Jack and Amy hadn't talked much either, really. There was a long silence.

Amy stood up and took a deep breath. "I can't sleep," she said. "And I'm all ready to go home."

"I wonder what happened to Tom," said Jack.

"Here," said the Doctor, pressing a few buttons and tapping the computer screen. Jack and Amy went over to look. The Doctor had found text in the TARDIS data drive. It said:

Tom Baker played the Doctor for seven consecutive years,

making him the longest-serving actor ever to play the

Doctor. He often disagreed with the screenwriters, saying

his lines "just weren't in character". When he finally left

the show, he was quoted as saying that "the Doctor is the

best made I have even met and ever been in all of time

and space." Tom Baker remains one of _Doctor Who_'s

most beloved incarnations to date.

"That's great!" said Jack.

"Brilliant!" said Amy.

"It is, isn't it?" said the Doctor. "I rather enjoyed that face."

"I like the one you've got," said Jack, reaching out to stroke it. The Doctor swatted his hand away.

"We're done recharging," announced the Doctor. "Are you ready, Amy?"

"Yes," said Amy.

"Amy!" said Rory, sweeping her up into a hug.

"I missed you, Rory," said Amy, hugging him back.

"Glad to be home, are you?" said the Doctor.

"Oh, yes," said Amy. She and Rory walked silently up the steps to the house, hand in hand. Before they went inside, Amy turned around. She knew she was lucky to have been saved from the daleks, lucky to have made it through the Void, lucky to have a home to return to.

"Good night, Doctor," she called into the night. "Good night, Jack!" She thought she heard them call back to her as the wind blew her hair against her face. Then she followed Rory into the house, where it was warm and loving and very safe.

**THE END**


End file.
